Editing The Washington Post (section)

== Political stance ==
{{Liberalism US|media}}

=== 20th century ===
[[File:Waterboarding a captured North Vietnamese soldier near Da Nang.jpeg|thumb|Two United States soldiers and a [[South Vietnam]]ese soldier [[Waterboarding|waterboard]] a captured [[North Vietnam]]ese prisoner during the [[Vietnam War]]; the image, which appeared on the front cover of ''The Washington Post'' on January 21, 1968, led to the court-martial of a United States soldier, although ''The Washington Post'' described waterboarding as "fairly common".<ref name=nprweiner20071103>{{cite news |first=Eric |last=Weiner |author-link=Eric Weiner |title=Waterboarding: A Tortured History |date=November 3, 2007 |publisher=[[NPR]] |url=https://www.npr.org/2007/11/03/15886834/waterboarding-a-tortured-history |access-date=December 19, 2007 |archive-date=December 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205074814/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15886834 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=walter20061005>{{cite news |first=Walter |last=Pincus |author-link=Walter Pincus |date=October 5, 2006 |title=Waterboarding Historically Controversial |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100402005.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 20, 2009 |page=A17 |archive-date=July 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140706171507/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/04/AR2006100402005.html |url-status=live }}</ref>]]

In 1933, financier Eugene Meyer bought the bankrupt ''Post'', and assured the public that neither he nor the newspaper would be beholden to any political party.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chalmers McGeagh Roberts|title=The Washington Post: The First 100 Years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22In+purchasing+The+Post,+I+acted+entirely+on+my+own+behalf%22&pg=PT198|year=1977|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-395-25854-5|page=198|access-date=January 2, 2022|archive-date=October 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004065511/https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22In+purchasing+The+Post,+I+acted+entirely+on+my+own+behalf%22&pg=PT198|url-status=live}}</ref> But as a leading Republican who had been appointed Chairman of the Federal Reserve by [[Herbert Hoover]] in 1930, his opposition to [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]]'s [[New Deal]] colored the paper's editorials and news coverage, including [[opinion piece|editorializing]] news stories written by Meyer under a pseudonym.<ref>{{cite book|author=Tom Kelly|title=The Imperial Post: The Meyers, the Grahams, and the Paper that Rules Washington|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhhlAAAAMAAJ&q=%22anonymous%20reporting%22|year=1983|publisher=Morrow|pages=63–64|isbn=978-0-688-01919-8|access-date=May 22, 2020|archive-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614005907/https://books.google.com/books?id=NhhlAAAAMAAJ&q=%22anonymous+reporting%22|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Ernest Lamb|title=New Deal a Mistake, Says Glass, Holding U.S. Will Regret It: Senator, in Interview, Tells 'Unvarnished Truth' |agency=The Washington Post|publisher=Eugene Meyer |date=April 8, 1934|pages=1, 4}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Ernest Lamb|title=Council Fought Security Act, Records Show: Statements by Wagner and Winant Are Refuted by Hearing Transcript. |agency=The Washington Post|publisher=Eugene Meyer |date=October 8, 1936|pages=1, 12}}</ref> His wife [[Agnes Ernst Meyer]] was a journalist from the other end of the spectrum politically. The ''Post'' ran many of her pieces including tributes to her personal friends [[John Dewey]] and [[Saul Alinsky]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Agnes Ernst Meyer|title=In Defense of Dr. Dewey|agency=The Washington Post|date=December 10, 1939|page=B8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Carol Felsenthal|title=Power, Privilege and the Post: The Katharine Graham Story|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x0lNDwAAQBAJ&q=%22The+Meyers%27+homes%2C+which+he+visited+often+24+Alinsky%22|year=1993|publisher=Seven Stories Press|pages=19, 127|isbn=978-1-60980-290-5|access-date=September 30, 2018|archive-date=July 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190702021347/https://books.google.com/books?id=x0lNDwAAQBAJ&q=%22The+Meyers%27+homes%2C+which+he+visited+often+24+Alinsky%22|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Agnes Ernst Meyer|title=Orderly Revolution|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h3utnQEACAAJ|year=1945|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=September 30, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125143/https://books.google.com/books?id=h3utnQEACAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Sanford D. Horwitt|title=Let Them Call Me Rebel: Saul Alinsky, His Life and Legacy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j44DAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Alinsky%27s+get-togethers+with+Agnes+Meyer%22|year=1989|publisher=Knopf|page=195|isbn=978-0-394-57243-7|access-date=September 30, 2018|archive-date=July 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703020746/https://books.google.com/books?id=j44DAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Alinsky%27s+get-togethers+with+Agnes+Meyer%22|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1946, Meyer was appointed head of [[World Bank]], and he named his son-in-law Phil Graham to succeed him as ''Post'' publisher. The post-war years saw the developing friendship of Phil and Kay Graham with the Kennedys, the Bradlees and the rest of the "[[Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)|Georgetown]] Set", including many [[Harvard University]] [[alumni]] that would color the ''Post's'' political orientation.<ref>{{cite news |author=Gregg Herken |title=The Georgetown Set |url=https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-georgetown-set-112125 |access-date=September 20, 2018 |publisher=Politico |date=October 22, 2014 |archive-date=September 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920195425/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-georgetown-set-112125 |url-status=live }}</ref> Kay Graham's most memorable Georgetown soirée guest list included British diplomat and communist spy [[Donald Maclean (spy)|Donald Maclean]].<ref name="Philipps2018">{{cite book|author=Roland Philipps|title=A Spy Named Orphan: The Enigma of Donald Maclean|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=osM6DwAAQBAJ&q=%22Katharine%20Graham%20proprietor%20of%20the%20Washington%20Post%22|year=2018|publisher=W. W. Norton|isbn=978-0-393-60858-8|page=134|access-date=October 12, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125144/https://books.google.com/books?id=osM6DwAAQBAJ&q=%22Katharine%20Graham%20proprietor%20of%20the%20Washington%20Post%22|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Graham1997>{{cite book|author=Katharine Graham|title=Personal History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jkxz77hC_48C&q=katharine%20graham&pg=PA156|year=1997|publisher=A.A. Knopf|isbn=978-0-394-58585-7|page=156|access-date=September 30, 2020|archive-date=March 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320093040/https://books.google.com/books?id=jkxz77hC_48C&q=katharine%20graham&pg=PA156|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''Post'' is credited with coining the term "[[McCarthyism]]" in a 1950 [[editorial cartoon]] by [[Herbert Block]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Chalmers McGeagh Roberts|title=The Washington Post: The First 100 Years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Herblock+in+fact+who+coined+the+term%22|year=1977|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-395-25854-5|page=280|access-date=September 18, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125145/https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Herblock+in+fact+who+coined+the+term%22|url-status=live}}</ref> Depicting buckets of tar, it made fun of Sen. [[Joseph McCarthy]]'s "tarring" tactics, i.e., [[smear campaign]]s and character assassination against those targeted by his accusations. Sen. McCarthy was attempting to do for the Senate what the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] had been doing for years—investigating [[Soviet espionage in the United States|Soviet espionage in America]]. The [[HUAC]] made Richard Nixon nationally known for his role in the [[Alger Hiss|Hiss]]/[[Whittaker Chambers|Chambers]] case that exposed communist spying in the [[State Department]]. The committee had evolved from the [[John William McCormack|McCormack]]-[[Samuel Dickstein (congressman)|Dickstein]] Committee of the 1930s.<ref name=Duffy>{{cite news| author = Peter Duffy| title = The Congressman Who Spied for Russia: The Strange Case of Samuel Dickstein| publisher = Politico| url = https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/samuel-dickstein-congressman-russian-spy-111641?paginate=false| date = October 6, 2014| access-date = September 20, 2018| archive-date = September 20, 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180920195522/https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/samuel-dickstein-congressman-russian-spy-111641?paginate=false| url-status = live}}</ref>

Phil Graham's friendship with [[John F. Kennedy]] remained strong until their deaths in 1963.<ref>{{cite book|author=Chalmers McGeagh Roberts|title=The Washington Post: The First 100 Years|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22The+Phil+Graham+I+have+so+much+admiration+for%22|access-date=September 9, 2018|year=1977|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|isbn=978-0-395-25854-5|page=363|archive-date=February 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202104741/https://books.google.com/books?id=OY61AAAAIAAJ&q=%22The+Phil+Graham+I+have+so+much+admiration+for%22|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI Director]] [[J. Edgar Hoover]] reportedly told the new President [[Lyndon B. Johnson]], "I don't have much influence with the ''Post'' because I frankly don't read it. I view it like the ''[[Daily Worker]]''."<ref>{{cite book|author=Michael R. Beschloss|title=Taking Charge: The Johnson White House Tapes, 1963–1964|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gI54AAAAMAAJ|year=1997|page=32|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0-684-80407-1|access-date=September 30, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125146/https://books.google.com/books?id=gI54AAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Taylor Branch|title=Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963–65|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JIi6qNbcoMgC&q=%22I+view+it+like+the+Daily+Worker%22|year=1997|publisher=Simon & Schuster|page=180|isbn=978-1-4165-5870-5|access-date=September 18, 2018|archive-date=March 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323125147/https://books.google.com/books?id=JIi6qNbcoMgC&q=%22I+view+it+like+the+Daily+Worker%22|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Anchor|Pravda on the Potomac}}

Ben Bradlee became the editor-in-chief in 1968, and Kay Graham officially became the publisher in 1969, paving the way for the aggressive reporting of the ''Pentagon Papers'' and Watergate scandals. The ''Post'' strengthened public opposition to the Vietnam War in 1971 when it published the ''Pentagon Papers''.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pentagon Papers |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pentagon-Papers |work=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=July 12, 2020 |archive-date=June 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622112034/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pentagon-Papers |url-status=live }}</ref> In the mid-1970s, some conservatives referred to the ''Post'' as "''[[Pravda]]'' on the [[Potomac River|Potomac]]" because of its perceived left-wing bias in both reporting and editorials.<ref>Bruce Bartlett (March 13, 2007), [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/mar/13/20070313-090315-7881r/ "Partisan Press Parity"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510011750/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/mar/13/20070313-090315-7881r/ |date=May 10, 2011 }}. ''The Washington Times''.</ref> Since then, the appellation has been used by both liberal and conservative critics of the newspaper.<ref>James Kirchick (February 17, 2009), [http://www.tnr.com/article/pravda-the-potomac "Pravda on the Potomac"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905065212/http://www.tnr.com/article/pravda-the-potomac |date=September 5, 2011 }}. ''The New Republic''.</ref><ref>William Greider (March 6, 2003), [http://www.thenation.com/article/washington-post-warriors "Washington Post Warriors"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515044255/http://www.thenation.com/article/washington-post-warriors |date=May 15, 2011 }}, ''The Nation''</ref>

=== 21st century ===
In the [[PBS]] documentary ''Buying the War'', journalist [[Bill Moyers]] said in the year prior to the [[Iraq War]] there were 27 editorials supporting the [[Presidency of George W. Bush|Bush administration]]'s desire to invade Iraq. National security correspondent [[Walter Pincus]] reported that he had been ordered to cease his reports that were critical of the administration.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/transcript1.html|title=Transcript: "Buying the War"|date=April 25, 2007|work=PBS|access-date=December 13, 2009|archive-date=October 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001004459/http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/transcript1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to author and journalist [[Greg Mitchell]]: "By the ''Post''{{'s}} own admission, in the months before the war, it ran more than 140 stories on its front page promoting the war, while contrary information got lost".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/eleven-years-how-washington-post-helped-give-us-iraq-war/ |title=Eleven Years On: How 'The Washington Post' Helped Give Us the Iraq War |date=March 12, 2014|work= [[The Nation]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304190318/https://www.thenation.com/article/eleven-years-how-washington-post-helped-give-us-iraq-war/ |archive-date=March 4, 2017 |url-status = dead}}</ref>

On March 23, 2007, [[Chris Matthews]] said on his television program, "''The Washington Post'' is not the liberal newspaper it was [...] I have been reading it for years and it is a [[neoconservatism|neocon]] newspaper".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17798805|title=Hardball with Chris Matthews for March 23|date=March 26, 2007|work=[[NBC News]]|access-date=April 4, 2009|archive-date=May 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505001030/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/17798805|url-status=live}}</ref> It has regularly published a mixture of op-ed columnists, with some of them left-leaning (including [[E.&nbsp;J. Dionne]], [[Dana Milbank]], Greg Sargent, and [[Eugene Robinson (journalist)|Eugene Robinson]]), and some of them right-leaning (including [[George Will]], [[Marc Thiessen]], [[Michael Gerson]] and [[Charles Krauthammer]]).

Responding to criticism of the newspaper's coverage during the run-up to the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 presidential election]], former ''Post'' [[ombudsman]] [[Deborah Howell]] wrote: "The opinion pages have strong conservative voices; the editorial board includes centrists and conservatives; and there were editorials critical of Obama. Yet opinion was still weighted toward Obama."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/14/AR2008111403057.html|title=Remedying the Bias Perception|date=November 16, 2008|newspaper=The Washington Post|author=Howell, Deborah|author-link=Deborah Howell|access-date=February 5, 2016|archive-date=March 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305001212/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/14/AR2008111403057.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a 2009 [[Oxford University Press]] book by Richard Davis on the impact of blogs on American politics, liberal bloggers link to ''The Washington Post'' and ''The New York Times'' more often than other major newspapers; however, conservative bloggers also link predominantly to liberal newspapers.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PWZ2-5wla3MC&pg=PA79|title=Typing Politics: The Role of Blogs in American Politics|publisher=Oxford UP|year=2009|page=79|author=Richard Davis|isbn=978-0-19-970613-6|access-date=July 2, 2015|archive-date=September 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911091803/https://books.google.com/books?id=PWZ2-5wla3MC&pg=PA79|url-status=live}}</ref>

Since 2011, the ''Post'' has been running a column called "The Fact Checker" that the ''Post'' describes as a "truth squad".<ref name="About the Fact Checker">Glenn Kessler (January 1, 2017), [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/07/about-fact-checker/ "About the Fact Checker"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306013444/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/07/about-fact-checker/ |date=March 6, 2019 }}, ''The Washington Post''</ref> The Fact Checker received a $250,000 grant from [[Google News Initiative]]/YouTube to expand production of video [[fact-checking|fact checks]].<ref name="About the Fact Checker" />

In mid-September 2016, Matthew Ingram of ''[[Forbes]]'' joined [[Glenn Greenwald]] of ''[[The Intercept]]'', and Trevor Timm of ''[[The Guardian]]'' in criticizing ''The Washington Post'' for "demanding that [former National Security Agency contractor Edward] Snowden&nbsp;... stand trial on espionage charges".<ref>{{cite web|author=Glenn Greenwald|date=September 18, 2016|website=The Intercept|url=https://theintercept.com/2016/09/18/washpost-makes-history-first-paper-to-call-for-prosecution-of-its-own-source-after-accepting-pulitzer/|title=WashPost Makes History: First Paper to Call for Prosecution of Its Own Source (After Accepting Pulitzer)|access-date=October 9, 2016|archive-date=November 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110182839/https://theintercept.com/2016/09/18/washpost-makes-history-first-paper-to-call-for-prosecution-of-its-own-source-after-accepting-pulitzer/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Ingram|first1=Matthew|title=Here's Why The Washington Post Is Wrong About Edward Snowden|url=https://fortune.com/2016/09/19/washington-post-snowden/ |url-access=subscription |date=September 19, 2016 |website=Fortune |access-date=October 9, 2016|archive-date=October 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011193529/http://fortune.com/2016/09/19/washington-post-snowden/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Disis|first1=Jill|url=https://money.cnn.com/2016/09/18/media/washington-post-criticism-snowden-pardon/ |website=CNN Business |title=Washington Post criticized for opposing Snowden pardon|date=September 18, 2016|access-date=August 3, 2020|archive-date=May 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200527004403/https://money.cnn.com/2016/09/18/media/washington-post-criticism-snowden-pardon/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Trimm|first1=Trevor|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/19/washington-post-wrong-edward-snowden-pardon|title=The Washington Post is wrong: Edward Snowden should be pardoned|website=[[TheGuardian.com]]|date=September 19, 2016|access-date=October 9, 2016|archive-date=October 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022102758/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/19/washington-post-wrong-edward-snowden-pardon|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2017, the ''Post'' adopted the slogan "[[Democracy Dies in Darkness]]" for its masthead.<ref name="OldSaying">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-washington-posts-new-slogan-turns-out-to-be-an-old-saying/2017/02/23/cb199cda-fa02-11e6-be05-1a3817ac21a5_story.html|title=The Washington Post's new slogan turns out to be an old saying|last=Farhi|first=Paul|date=February 23, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=February 26, 2017|archive-date=January 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111001213/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-washington-posts-new-slogan-turns-out-to-be-an-old-saying/2017/02/23/cb199cda-fa02-11e6-be05-1a3817ac21a5_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2025, Jeff Bezos announced that the paper's opinion pages would endorse "personal liberties and free markets" to the exclusion of other views. According to the NPR, the announcement suggested the ''Post'' was adopting a [[libertarianism in the United States|libertarian]] line.<ref name = Folkenflik2025/>

==== Political endorsements ====
In the vast majority of U.S. elections, for federal, state, and local office, the ''Post'' editorial board has endorsed [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidates.<ref name=Pexton2012>{{cite news |author=Patrick B. Pexton |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/patrick-pexton-the-posts-endorsements-historically-tend-democratic/2012/11/02/6890a49a-250a-11e2-ba29-238a6ac36a08_story.html |title=Patrick Pexton: The Post's endorsements historically tend Democratic |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en |date=November 2, 2012 |access-date=July 5, 2018 |archive-date=July 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705150603/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/patrick-pexton-the-posts-endorsements-historically-tend-democratic/2012/11/02/6890a49a-250a-11e2-ba29-238a6ac36a08_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The paper's editorial board and endorsement decision-making are separate from newsroom operations.<ref name=Pexton2012 /> Until 1976, the ''Post'' did not regularly make endorsements in presidential elections. Since it endorsed [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976, the ''Post'' has endorsed Democrats in presidential elections, and has never endorsed a Republican for president in the general election,<ref name=Pexton2012 /> although in the [[1988 United States presidential election|1988 presidential election]], the ''Post'' declined to endorse either Governor [[Michael Dukakis]] (the Democratic candidate) or Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]] (the Republican candidate).<ref name=Pexton2012 /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/02/us/post-makes-no-endorsement.html |title=Post Makes No Endorsement |work=The New York Times |date=November 2, 1988 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=September 19, 2021 |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105025222/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/02/us/post-makes-no-endorsement.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The ''Post'' editorial board endorsed [[Barack Obama]] in 2008<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/16/AR2008101603436.html |title=Barack Obama for President |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 17, 2008 |access-date=April 4, 2009 |archive-date=April 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422090843/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/16/AR2008101603436.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and 2012;<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/washington-post-endorsement-four-more-years-for-president-obama/2012/10/25/6ca309a2-1965-11e2-bd10-5ff056538b7c_story.html |title=Washington Post Endorsement: Four More Years for President Obama |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 25, 2012 |access-date=October 28, 2012 |archive-date=October 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027202419/http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/washington-post-endorsement-four-more-years-for-president-obama/2012/10/25/6ca309a2-1965-11e2-bd10-5ff056538b7c_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Hillary Clinton]] in [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]];<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hillary-clinton-for-president/2016/10/12/665f9698-8caf-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4_story.html |title=Hillary Clinton for President |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=October 13, 2016 |access-date=October 13, 2016 |archive-date=October 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013112353/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/hillary-clinton-for-president/2016/10/12/665f9698-8caf-11e6-bf8a-3d26847eeed4_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Joe Biden]] in [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 28, 2020 |title=Joe Biden for president |language=en |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/28/editorial-board-endorsement-joe-biden/ |access-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-date=October 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005211345/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/09/28/editorial-board-endorsement-joe-biden/?arc404=true |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2024, the ''Post'' controversially announced that it would no longer publish presidential endorsements.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

While the newspaper predominantly endorses Democrats in congressional, state, and local elections, it has occasionally endorsed [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidates.<ref name="Pexton2012" /> While the paper has not endorsed Republican candidates for [[governor of Virginia]],<ref name="Pexton2012" /> it endorsed [[Governor of Maryland|Maryland Governor]] [[Robert Ehrlich]]'s unsuccessful bid for a second term in 2006.<ref name="Pexton2012" /><ref>{{cite news |date=October 26, 2006 |title=Wrong Choice for Governor |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/25/AR2006102501668.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629002651/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/25/AR2006102501668.html |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |access-date=April 4, 2009 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> In 2006, it repeated its historic endorsements of every Republican incumbent for Congress in [[Northern Virginia]].<ref>{{cite news |date=October 30, 2006 |title=For Congress in Virginia |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900552.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821080558/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900552.html |archive-date=August 21, 2011 |access-date=April 4, 2009 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> The ''Post'' editorial board endorsed Virginia's Republican U.S. Senator [[John Warner]] in his Senate reelection campaign in 1990, 1996 and 2002; the paper's most recent endorsement of a Maryland Republican for U.S. Senate was in the 1980s, when the paper endorsed Senator [[Charles Mathias|Charlies "Mac" Mathias Jr.]]<ref name="Pexton2012" /> In U.S. House of Representatives elections, [[Moderate Republicans (modern United States)|moderate Republicans]] in [[Virginia]] and [[Maryland]], including [[Wayne Gilchrest]], [[Thomas M. Davis]], and [[Frank Wolf (politician)|Frank Wolf]], have enjoyed the support of the ''Post''; the ''Post'' also endorsed Republican [[Carol Schwartz]] in her campaign in Washington, D.C.<ref name="Pexton2012" />

===== 2024 discontinuation of presidential endorsements =====
{{Further|News media endorsements in the 2024 United States presidential election#Newspaper non-endorsements}}

Eleven days prior to the [[2024 United States presidential election|2024 presidential election]], CEO and publisher William Lewis announced that the ''Post'' would not endorse a candidate for 2024. It was the first time since the 1988 presidential election that the paper did not endorse the Democratic candidate. Lewis also said that the paper would not make endorsements in any future presidential election. Lewis stated that the paper was "returning to our roots" of not endorsing candidates, and explained that the move was "a statement in support of our readers' ability to make up their own minds", and "consistent with the values the ''Post'' has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects." Sources familiar with the situation stated that the ''Post'' editorial board had drafted an endorsement for [[Kamala Harris]], but that it had been blocked by order of the ''Post''<nowiki/>'s owner Jeff Bezos.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" />

The move was criticized by former executive editor Martin Baron, who considered it "disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage",<ref name=":2" /> and suggested that Bezos was fearing retaliation from 2024 Republican candidate Donald Trump that could impact Bezos's other businesses if Trump were elected.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gold |first=Hadas |date=2024-10-26 |title=The Washington Post is in deep turmoil as Bezos remains silent on non-endorsement |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/26/media/washington-post-jeff-bezos-endorsement-turmoil/index.html |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> Editor-at-large [[Robert Kagan]] and columnist [[Michele Norris]] resigned in the wake of the decision, and editor [[David Maraniss]] said that the paper was "dying in darkness", a reference to the paper's current slogan. ''Post'' opinion columnists jointly authored an article calling the decision to not endorse a "terrible mistake", and it was condemned by the Washington Post Guild, a union unit representing ''Post'' employees.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last2=Stelter |first1=Hadas |last1=Gold |first2=Brian |date=2024-10-25 |title=Washington Post won't endorse candidate in 2024 presidential election after Bezos decision |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/25/media/washington-post-wont-endorse-presidential-candidate/index.html |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last1=Roig-Franzia |first1=Manuel |last2=Wagner |first2=Laura |date=2024-10-25 |title=The Washington Post says it will not endorse a candidate for president |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2024/10/25/washington-post-endorsement-president/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Mangan |first=Dan |date=2024-10-25 |title=Jeff Bezos killed Washington Post endorsement of Kamala Harris, paper reports |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/25/jeff-bezos-killed-washington-post-endorsement-of-kamala-harris-.html |access-date=2024-10-26 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chitwood |first=Adam |date=2024-10-27 |title=Washington Post Columnist Michele Norris Resigns Over Bezos Scrapping Harris Endorsement: 'A Terrible Mistake' |url=https://www.thewrap.com/washington-post-columnist-michele-norris-resigns/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}</ref> More than 250,000 people (about ten percent of the ''Post''{{'}}s subscribers) cancelled their subscriptions, and three members of the editorial board left the board, though they remain with the ''Post'' in other positions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Folkenflik |first=David |date=2024-10-29 |title=More than 250,000 subscribers have left 'Washington Post' over withheld endorsement |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/10/29/nx-s1-5170939/more-than-250-000-subscribers-have-left-washington-post-over-withheld-endorsement |access-date=2024-10-29 |work=NPR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gold |first=Hadas |date=2024-10-28 |title=Three Washington Post editorial board members step down amid wave of canceled subscriptions over non-endorsement |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/28/media/washington-post-endorsement-subscribers-resign/index.html |access-date=2024-10-29 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref><ref name="w850">{{cite web |last=Helmore |first=Edward |date=2024-10-29 |title=Washington Post cancellations hit 250,000 – 10% of subscribers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/oct/29/washington-post-subscriber-cancellations |access-date=2024-10-30 |website=The Guardian}}</ref> An endorsement of Harris was subsequently published by the paper's humorist [[Alexandra Petri]], who explained that "if I were the paper, I would be a little embarrassed that it has fallen to me, the humor columnist, to make our presidential endorsement", and that "I only know what's happening because our actual journalists are out there reporting, knowing that their editors have their backs, that there's no one too powerful to report on, that we would never pull a punch out of fear."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Petri |first=Alexandria |date=2024-10-26 |title=It has fallen to me, the humor columnist, to endorse Harris for president |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/26/washington-post-endorses-kamala-harris-satire/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241027014812/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/26/washington-post-endorses-kamala-harris-satire/ |archive-date=2024-10-27 |access-date=2024-10-26 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

Condemning the ''Post''{{'}}s decision, several columnists, including Will Bunch, [[Jonathan V. Last|Jonathan Last]], Dan Froomkin, [[Donna Ladd]] and [[Sewell Chan]], described it as an example of what historian [[Timothy Snyder]] calls anticipatory obedience.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bunch |first=Will |date=2024-10-27 |title=Billionaire cowards at Washington Post, L.A. Times show what life under a dictator is really like |url=https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/washington-post-la-times-endorsements-trump-harris-20241027.html |access-date=2024-10-27 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Froomkin |first=Dan |date=2024-10-25 |title=Billionaires have broken media: Washington Post's non-endorsement is a sickening moral collapse |url=https://www.salon.com/2024/10/25/billionaires-have-broken-media-washington-posts-non-endorsement-is-a-sickening-moral-collapse/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=Salon |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Last |first=Jonathan V. |date=2024-10-25 |title=The Guardrails Are Already Crumpling |url=https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bezos-kills-washington-post-endorsement-guardrails-falling |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=The Bulwark |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Sewell |date=2024-10-25 |title=The Washington Post opinion editor approved a Harris endorsement. A week later, Jeff Bezos killed it. |url=https://www.cjr.org/political_press/the-washington-post-opinion-editor-approved-a-harris-endorsement-a-week-later-the-papers-publisher-killed-it.php |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=Columbia Journalism Review |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ladd |first=Donna |date=2024-10-26 |title=Editor's Note {{!}} As Fascism Looms, A Free Press Must Stand Up |url=https://www.mississippifreepress.org/democracy-as-fascism-looms-the-free-press-must-stand-and-report-in-the-breach/ |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=Mississippi Free Press |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Andrew Koppelman]], in an opinion piece for ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'', praised the ''Post'' for revealing its cowardice.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Koppelman |first=Andrew |date=2024-10-28 |title=In praise of the Washington Post's cowardice   |access-date=2024-10-30 |url=https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4956389-in-praise-of-the-washington-posts-cowardice/ |website=The Hill}}</ref> In his book ''[[On Tyranny]]'', Snyder wrote that "Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. ... [I]ndividuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked",<ref>{{Cite book |last=Snyder |first=Timothy |title=On Tyranny |publisher=Tim Duggans Books |year=2017 |isbn=9780804190114 |location=New York}}</ref> and he, too, condemned the decision.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Snyder |first=Timothy |date=2024-10-26 |title=Obeying in advance |url=https://snyder.substack.com/p/obeying-in-advance |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=Thinking about...}}</ref>